The Dawn of Chaos in the Western King's Capital
The day after Lan departed from Seo-Wangdo, the grand conference hall brimmed with mocking laughter that echoed through its vast emptiness.
The overly spacious hall, with its huge gray round table and nine chairs scattered about, felt hollow and devoid of life.
Six of those nine seats stood vacant, deepening the eerie silence.
The seated figures exuded an aura far from ordinary.
A towering giant, a peerless beauty, and a man who had just been muttering to himself about someone—
they were none other than the Seven Pillars.
Charged with the sacred duty of safeguarding the continent through unmatched power, each one was an absolute powerhouse beyond the grasp of mortal imagination.
“It seems everyone’s here who could possibly arrive. Shall we begin?”
Someone lounging with feet propped on the table, rubbing his ears, suddenly set them down and grumbled.
The man had fiery red hair and a rugged face that matched it perfectly.
A long, gruesome scar sliced from his left temple all the way across to his right cheek, intensifying his menacing presence.
“The grand dukes have been locked in seclusion for years now. The senior seat was absent on official business, fair enough. But the two swordsmen? I never expected them to show up at all. And the last one isn’t worth waiting for.”
A sharp twitch ran through the man’s words.
The woman’s flawless, snow-white forehead flushed a delicate red, a few veins standing out.
“You… the last one, you mean Lan-nim?”
“That’s right. What? Got a problem?”
Enraged at the disregard for Lan, the woman pushed her chair back, ready to leap across and rip out that man’s tongue, but the fear of exposing such a violent act before Lan stopped her.
She remained silent and seated.
A short while later, Lan stepped into the hall. The man immediately approached him with a ridiculous jester-like flourish and sneered mockingly.
“Oh my, what a rare sight—a lowly personage visiting this honored place? You dare make me wait like this?”
“If only you’d keep that ugly face hidden.”
“What?!”
The man, who had intended to mock Lan, only ended up taking a punch himself. He grimaced in pain, then darted forward in a leap.
Whoosh—
In a single blink, the two exchanged dozens of strikes and parries at speeds invisible to the naked eye.
The fight ended with the man’s fist slamming into Lan’s left shoulder.
Thud!
“Hah…”
Lan retreated several steps, grimacing slightly, then pressed the attack again.
But the man froze mid-step, unable to move an inch as though his entire body had turned to ice.
“Modeus. Do you wish to have that hand cut off?”
“…”
A woman slipped between them, her eyes blazing with murderous intent.
“I wonder what’s so special about that guy, really.”
Modeus lowered his hand without a word, watching the surrounding area freeze as he stepped back.
Ignoring Modeus, the woman turned to face Lan and offered her hand shyly.
“A-are you all right…?”
“I’ve made a spectacle of myself again. Thank you, Wolhyang.”
Seeing Lan’s smile, Wolhyang’s cheeks burned red as she covered her mouth with her sleeve.
Displeased, Modeus turned to the massive figure still seated and changed the subject.
“Hmph. First Seat, how about we get started?”
All eyes in the hall shifted to the man with his eyes closed.
Of the Seven Pillars, Arirang Peltix occupied the highest position.
“More than half the Seven Pillars have gathered.”
Peltix opened his eyes and scanned the hall once.
“Though it’s unfortunate we’re short on numbers, we’ve met the minimum requirements. From now on, I will convene the Public Pillar Assembly.”
Under Peltix’s direction, the meeting officially began.
* * *
At the same time in Seo-Wangdo.
“Oppa! Hurry, hurry!”
Maru bounced in place, urging Haru along.
While gathering everything needed, she suddenly wanted to go outside, so the group ended up in the bustling market street of the Western King’s Capital.
“Maru, I understand your excitement, but you mustn’t wander too far from the escorts. You need to stay close at all times. Understand?”
“Yes! Oppa!”
“Good. Take this money and run along.”
Nodding, Maru accepted the coin purse and dashed toward the densely packed stalls.
“It would be troublesome, but please take good care of my younger sister.”
“Of course.”
Several escorts assigned to Maru followed right behind her.
“Maru, let her play all she wants. We’ll head to the shops for the essentials.”
“Got it.”
Haru and Teraden moved to another area to buy necessities.
“Waaah!”
Maru bit into street food, her eyes widening in delight.
“This is my first time trying something this delicious! Oh! Everyone, you should try it too!”
She hadn’t lived in poverty, but neither had she enjoyed abundance.
She had simply never left her village, so the stimulating foods here were a feast beyond her wildest dreams.
“Oh my, what a beautiful young lady. Here, two more for free—enjoy to your heart’s content. Whoa, take care not to overdo it.”
“Thank you!”
Maru clutched different foods in each hand and stuffed her cheeks full, chewing with loud, satisfied smacks.
Munch munch.
Her loud chewing cut through the noisy market with eerie clarity.
“I want to try everything!”
Her cheeks puffed out, Maru looked utterly joyful.
Yet hidden eyes watched her closely, tails sneaking along behind.
“Those dark, deep-black hair from that clan… and those eyes that stand out so much. It has to be that girl.”
The leader signaled quietly in a low voice.
“Begin.”
No sooner had the word left his lips than the shadows moved at terrifying speed toward Maru, unlike anything before.
Then—
BOOM!!
A mysterious explosion rocked the entire area.
* * *
Around the same time at the city gates of Seo-Wangdo.
“Win! Second checkpoint on the north gate, Jubern! Commencing patrol on this hour!”
Jubern gripped a communication mirror, one of the items that allowed distant contact, and was speaking to someone.
“Yes. Report any unusual situation immediately.”
“Yes! Understood. Win!”
Jubern answered briskly and slid the mirror back into his pouch.
“I’ll be out on patrol now. Make sure you don’t sleep on the job like last time.”
“Ah, I get it. I’ve been reflecting on yesterday’s duty….”
Jubern gave his colleague a firm warning about slacking off and headed toward the outer districts of the city.
It was during the patrol when—
Flash—!
A blinding flash accompanied by an explosion erupted from the central area.
“Gah!”
Even though he was a fair distance away, the light was so intense that Jubern winced and turned his head away from the source.
Moments later, the flash gradually dimmed and his vision returned. Thick black smoke began billowing up.
“An explosion just like that? What in the world is happening?”
The blast site wasn’t in his patrol zone, so if someone else had spotted it, they could simply report to headquarters and move on.
But heading there risked being reprimanded for leaving his post, or worse—his performance evaluation ruined, blocking his promotion path.
Or, at the very least, he could be swept up in the chaos and badly injured, or even killed.
Yet Jubern would never let it pass by unnoticed.
The thought of a potential crisis made him quicken his steps toward the sound of the blast.
Kwaang—! Crack—!
“Kyaaaaah!”
“Eeeaaah!”
The scene that greeted Jubern upon reaching the center was horrifying.
As he approached the blast origin, the eyes of those fleeing grew deeper with fear.
They ran with desperate speed, trampling anyone—infant or otherwise—who got in their way, wanting only to escape further and faster.
Because of the explosion, the number of crushed victims far exceeded those injured directly.
“This… what is this?”
Ruined buildings, billowing smoke, unending screams, children sobbing as they clung to their dead parents.
Jubern felt as though he were dreaming.
‘Is this really the Western King’s Capital? Did this peaceful place I knew turn into the real thing overnight?’
The uncle of the butcher who greeted him kindly that morning, the aunt of the fruit shop who always packed him fruits, and others he knew—
all lay scattered in the most pitiful state, eyes wide in terror.
Crunch.
Jubern clenched his hammering heart and ground his teeth, then quickened his pace again.
The original center of the explosion had fallen silent compared to the surrounding area.
Yet there, several escorts were confronting a group of unknown assailants who had attacked Maru.
The assailants resembled humans but were strangely different in appearance.
‘Horns? Have humans ever had horns? Who are those guys…?’
Jubern hid behind nearby rubble and decided to observe a little longer.
Peeking from behind broken debris, he spotted an escort and a young girl.
Most of the escorts looked familiar.
Some he had passed on the street several times, and one was the very man he had scolded harshly the day before.
The escorts were protecting the black-haired girl who had fallen unconscious—Maru.
Yesterday’s memory flashed through Jubern’s mind.
‘That girl…? She was the one the Seven Pillars themselves brought yesterday.’
The escorts were willing to risk their lives to protect only that girl, and they had been traveling with a Pillar. Jubern realized Maru must be quite important.
While the assailants appeared unharmed, the escorts breathed raggedly with injuries scattered across their bodies. The situation was clearly dire.
‘No more. I’m joining.’
Interfering himself would only worsen things, risking nothing but his own life.
Still, Jubern took out his communication mirror, reported to headquarters, and without hesitation drew his sword, charging straight into the heart of the battle.
“Oh?”
Meanwhile, far above the city, unseen by anyone, someone was watching the scene with keen interest.